Marutai Chilled Chinese Noodles Review | Noodle Journey Episode 205
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Marutai Chilled Chinese Noodles Review | Noodle Journey Episode 205

I’m moving on from the Marutai x Sapporo Ichiban collaboration products and into some of the newer Japanese Marutai releases that started showing up this past year, starting with something completely new to me: Marutai Chilled Chinese Noodles, also known as Hiyashi Chuka. This is my first time trying this style of dish, and while it’s currently December and absolutely freezing outside, this is a Marutai product and part of my annual countdown to Christmas tradition, so it still fits right in. The focus here is whether the base flavor itself is worth buying, which means I’m reviewing this exactly as it comes in the package, without adding any extra toppings.

Sapporo Ichiban x Marutai Tonkotsu Ramen Mega-Review | Noodle Journey Episode 204
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Sapporo Ichiban x Marutai Tonkotsu Ramen Mega-Review | Noodle Journey Episode 204

I’m kicking off my annual December Marutai tradition with a Sapporo Ichiban x Marutai Tonkotsu Ramen mega-review! These are three collaboration products that, from what I can put together, are manufactured by Marutai with Sapporo Ichiban/Sanyo Foods acting as the North American distributor: Hakata-Style Original Tonkotsu, Kagoshima-Style Creamy Tonkotsu, and Kumamoto-Style Garlic Tonkotsu ramen. This whole holiday marathon started in my first year on YouTube when my wife bought me 12 Marutai varieties and I did a 12-days countdown, and now this is what December looks like on the channel and website. Marutai is my favorite instant ramen company, and I’m always excited to catch up on new releases.

Yamadai Sugomen Green Onion Miso Ramen Review | Noodle Journey
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Yamadai Sugomen Green Onion Miso Ramen Review | Noodle Journey

This Yamadai Sugomen Green Onion Miso Ramen is the last review in the series of products picked up for me in Guam, and I saved it until the end because it's the largest and, frankly, most exciting one to me that my coworker brought back. This is a gigantic noodle bowl from Yamadai, one of the most revered noodle manufacturers in Japan. A couple reviews ago, I actually tried Yamadai for the first time, although it was a Korean-style kimchi ramen rather than a more traditional Japanese flavor profile like this one. If this one is half as good as that kimchi flavor was, I'll be ecstatic.

Nissin Cup Noodle Spicy Review | Noodle Journey
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Nissin Cup Noodle Spicy Review | Noodle Journey

I've found that a lot of Japanese products that promise spice don't always deliver on the spice, even though they taste good. Hopefully this Nissin Cup Noodle Spicy variety brings the heat and the flavor in equal amounts. This is the second-to-last item brought back for me from Guam at Don Don Donki, so we're getting very close to the end of that assortment of noodles. Nissin's official product description touts this cup as being loaded with the largest amount of roasted chili peppers ever in a Cup Noodle product, plus the sourness of kimchi, flavor of garlic, and richness of miso. Sounds like a fantastic combination!

Yamadai New Touch Original Kimchi Ramen Review | Noodle Journey
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Yamadai New Touch Original Kimchi Ramen Review | Noodle Journey

This Yamadai New Touch Original Kimchi Ramen is the fifth product from my Guam review pile, and is certainly one of the more interesting ones. This is, I think, a first for me: a Japanese manufacturer making a Korean kimchi stew instant noodle. And not just any Japanese manufacturer... Yamadai is one of the premier Japanese instant noodle brands, with a few dozen premium bowl products spread out across its various product lines. Read on for more info and the review!

Nissin Jonetz Shrimp and Salt Flavour Ramen Bowl Review | Noodle Journey
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Nissin Jonetz Shrimp and Salt Flavour Ramen Bowl Review | Noodle Journey

This Nissin Jonetz Shrimp and Salt Flavour Ramen Bowl is the fourth item from Guam in my review pile, and like the Acecook product that preceded it, it is another Don Don Donki store-exclusive product under the Jonetz brand (check out the previous review for a little info on the Jonetz branding). Now on its own, the name of this bowl doesn't exactly scream "appetizing" to me - who cares about salty shrimp, right? Well, it turns out the ingredients are a little more complex and interesting than just salty shrimp. Will this turn out to be a good bowl of noodles? Read on to find out!

Acecook Jonetz Rich Tonkotsu Flavor Noodles Review | Noodle Journey
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Acecook Jonetz Rich Tonkotsu Flavor Noodles Review | Noodle Journey

Here's another product found in Guam that I never knew existed: Acecook Jonetz Rich Tonkotsu Flavor Noodles. A little explanation here is probably warranted. In Japan, there's a chain of convenience stores called Don Quijote, affectionately called "Donki" for short. There are other Donki locations in other countries, and those international locations are under the name "Don Don Donki," like the one in Guam where this cup was purchased. The official original store brand for Donki is "Jonetz." So this tonkotsu cup is made by Acecook with the Jonetz branding for exclusive sale in Donki convenience stores. Hope that all made sense, since I've got one more product besides this one with the Jonetz branding on it to review next time. Let's get onto this one though!

Nissin Cup Noodles Tom Yum Kung Review | Noodle Journey
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Nissin Cup Noodles Tom Yum Kung Review | Noodle Journey

Here's another flavor I got from my coworker on his trip to Guam: Nissin Cup Noodles Tom Yum Kung. Prior to this write-up, I thought I vaguely remembered seeing this one advertised as a limited-time offering from Nisisn being sold in Japan several years back, but I also see other mentions of it going back nearly a decade, so either I'm wrong and it was always a permanent part of the Cup Noodles product line, or it was one of those flavors that was so popular that Nissin decided to bring it back and keep it around. Either way, I'm excited to give this a try in light of that trainwreck of a tom yum from my last review.

Interfresh Instant Rice Noodle Pho Tomyum Flavor Review | Noodle Journey
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Interfresh Instant Rice Noodle Pho Tomyum Flavor Review | Noodle Journey

One of my coworkers recently returned from a trip to Guam and brought me quite an assortment of noodles cups & bowls that I'm going to be reviewing over the next little while, starting with this Interfresh Instant Rice Noodle Pho Tomyum Flavor. I'm starting with this particular flavor because it's the most interesting to me - it's a Japanese brand I've never reviewed before, and I've never seen something that touts itself as both pho and tom yum before, so this should be quite a ride. Read on for more info!

Nissin Cup Noodles Protein Rich & Savory Beef Flavor Review | Noodle Journey
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Nissin Cup Noodles Protein Rich & Savory Beef Flavor Review | Noodle Journey

This Nissin Cup Noodles Protein Rich & Savory Beef Flavor is the final one of Nissin's currently-available Cup Noodles Protein products, and I haven't been overly impressed with the line thus far. Although the added bone broth protein does its job in making you feel fuller, the flavor has been a little lacking all-told. Maybe this beef cup will end on a higher note? Let's find out.